Finance director outlines fiscal 2026 budget calendar; council to hold public hearing on 2.5% fee increase

The City of North Bend staff told the council on July 27 that the city will follow a set calendar for developing the fiscal 2026 budget and will hold a public hearing on proposed fee increases capped at 2.5%.

Finance Director Jeff told the council the proposed budget will be provided to members in May and listed key dates to note: a proposed budget delivery around May 9, first and second budget committee hearings in May, and a planned adoption at the June 10 council meeting.

On fees, Jeff said the council is scheduled to receive public comment on proposed city fee increases that are limited by a charter provision to the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. "We have increased the city fees by 2 and a half percent, which is the amount that Social Security raised, their amounts, for 2025. So we're in line with that," Jeff said. He added that the city removed certain OLCC fees from its schedule because state rules set the allowable charge.

Why it matters: The charter provision cited prevents the city from creating new fees or raising existing fees by more than the Social Security COLA; staff said they are following that limitation after a 2019 lawsuit that affected how the city sets fees. The council will receive the full proposed budget during the timeline set by staff, and adoption is scheduled for the June council meeting.

Less critical details: Jeff said the budget proposal will use the Social Security COLA as the baseline for unrepresented employee COLA recommendations. He also noted most internal calendar milestones are designed to meet statutory and internal deadlines and that the city will post and solicit public comment as required.

Article provenance: See transcript excerpts that introduce the budget-calendar and fee-hearing discussion.